Giants Hope a Dominant Rusher Can Emerge From the Crowd

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Giants running back Rashad Jennings and the Patriots’ defense on Nov. 15. Jennings said he was accustomed to sharing carries.CreditJason Szenes for The New York Times

By Tom Pedulla

Dec. 13, 2015

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — With four games left and no margin for error in an N.F.C. East race that has deteriorated into a crawl, the Giants remain a team in search of a running back capable of spearheading a potent ground game.

The Giants have a must-win road game against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night, and they are eager to rediscover the smash-mouth style that has served them so well under Coach Tom Coughlin. But the meager running attack helps to explain a 5-7 record that includes three consecutive losses and four defeats in five games.

“We’ve got to run it and we’ve got to be effective with it,” quarterback Eli Manning said, “because that will slow down the pass rush and help out the play-action and do everything.”

Manning was not telling Miami’s coaching staff and players something they did not already know. The Dolphins’ 5-7 record stems, in no small part, from their difficulty with stopping the run, even though they added Ndamukong Suh, a premier defensive tackle, as a free agent in the off-season. Entering Sunday, the Giants were averaging 88.1 rushing yards per game, 29th in the league. The Dolphins have permitted an average of 134.8 yards on the ground, 30th in the league. Miami allows 4.2 yards per attempt.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has an electrifying streak of five consecutive 100-yard receiving games, a team record, but the Giants are 5-9 over two years when Beckham surpasses 100 yards. The discrepancy points to a need for a running threat strong enough to provide more balance on offense.

The three-game losing streak only accentuates the Giants’ woes on the ground. They averaged 3.5 yards per carry on 23 attempts for 80 net yards in a 27-26 home loss to the New England Patriots on Nov. 15. After a bye week, those numbers dipped, to 2.5 yards per carry (13 attempts, 33 net yards), in a 20-14 road defeat on Nov. 29 to the Washington Redskins. The Giants improved, but not enough, when 24 attempts produced 74 yards (3.1-yard average) in a 23-20 overtime setback to the Jets on Dec. 6.

The Giants’ last 100-yard rushing effort occurred in their last victory, a 32-18 decision on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 8 in which they accumulated 114 net yards on 33 carries.

“Championship football, you can’t get away from the running game,” Giants running back Rashad Jennings said.

At least some of the poor production can be attributed to the injuries that have depleted the offensive line, sometimes casting reserves into starting roles while forcing some starters to play out of position. Will Beatty, a veteran left tackle, tore a pectoral muscle in the off-season and never returned. Right guard Geoff Schwartz was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 1 with a broken leg. Left guard Justin Pugh missed the New England game because of illness before a concussion sidelined him the next week. He shifted to left tackle during last week’s game after the rookie Ereck Flowers injured an ankle. The Giants hope Flowers can rejoin the lineup Monday.

Although teams often succeed with two backs whose contrasting styles complement each other, the Giants are taking running back by committee to an extreme with a four-back rotation. Against the Jets, Orleans Darkwa ran a team-high eight times for 23 yards followed by Andre Williams (6 for 22), Jennings (5 for 14) and Shane Vereen (4 for 13). The Giants did not produce a rushing touchdown; the longest run was 13 yards, by Williams.

Many running backs believe they need a certain number of carries before they can feel the flow of the game and find their rhythm. Jennings said he was accustomed to sharing carries. The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him in the seventh round in 2009 to ease the load on Maurice Jones-Drew. He later paired with Darren McFadden for one season with the Oakland Raiders.

Jennings leads the Giants in rushing with 431 yards on 116 attempts (3.7 yards per carry). He described himself as a “workhorse,” and he was expected to play a lead role when he signed with the Giants as a free agent before last season. He said of sharing the ball with three other backs: “That’s the system we’re running here, so get in, fit in and make plays when you can. Let’s go win a game.”

The offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo pointed to a lack of production and suggested that it had forced the Giants to adopt the four-back approach to capitalize on disparate skills.

“Until we execute the way we want,” McAdoo said, “no one is going to get the touches he wants.”

Coughlin, in his 12th — and, should the Giants miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, possibly last — season expressed eagerness to see one back emerge.

“Take over the job,” Coughlin said. “Anytime anybody wants to be the guy, I’m all for it.”

The Giants suffered six losses by a total of 18 points; they have blown four games in the fourth quarter. Jennings said that running successfully involved a certain mind-set, one that might help the Giants to protect late leads.

“It’s an attitude that you want to impose your will on the opponent,” he said.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page D3 of the New York edition with the headline: Giants Hope a Dominant Rusher Can Emerge From the Crowd. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe